The Soul Eaters
by CarnileN
Summary: Across the history few things have inspired as much terror as the Ghost Pokémon who steal the lives from whoever crosses their path. Commonly called Soul Eaters, they live in order to feast on the life energy of any creature. With humanity living in constant fear those who possess the gift of psychic powers are the only ones capable of fighting back.
1. Beware of the Night

**AN:** Welcome to my first submission to the Pokémon section. I have been looking forward to uploading this story for quite some time. This was actually a lenghty one-shot, but I've decided to divide it in two smaller chapters for faster revision and uploadind; the next one will be up in a week or so :D

Comments and reviews will be greatly appreciated, I would like to know what you think, if you spotted any error etc. Thanks for reading and without further ado enjoy!

* * *

The forest leaves rustled under the feet of a frightened man, a frightened prey of the Soul Eaters. Brushing away the branches that blocked his way, the man ran. The sound of his ragged, uneven breathing was the only thing he could hear.

His pursuers moved smoothly through the forest without making any noise. After all, they could levitate, they had the advantage over him. It wasn't fair. And yet, even if the man couldn't hear nor see his pursuers, he could almost feel them; he could feel their obscure aura hungry of his soul.

With his legs still moving automatically as fast as they could, the man risked a glimpsed above his shoulders. They were over him.

A scream filled the forest but before anyone could hear him, it died down.

* * *

Inside a wooden house under the moonlight and in the center of the dining room, Nox found himself with the sole light of a lonely candle which its flame twitched back and forth at the rhythm of the movements of his hand.

If he flicked his hand to the left, the flame followed him; if he flicked his hand to the right the flame followed him with its shadow dancing alongside it.

He closed his hand in a swift motion and the flame of the candle extinguished instantly. Surrounded by darkness was the easiest way of concentrating and detect, and hence he sat upright in the chair, ready.

With his hands planted on the table in front of him, he focused and tried to pinpoint the location from where the Pokémonwas approaching.

The "sensation" of the approaching Pokémon increased. He was behind Nox, outside the house… inside a bush? No, behind a tree. Nox could "feel" him perfectly now. He could follow each one of his movements. That didn't take much time.

Nox snapped his fingersand the flame revived above the candle, and with the other hand he pointed outside through the window that was behind him and where the Pokémon was. The light of the candle was absorbed and redirected to reveal his hiding spot.

A pair of bright, red eyes came into view. Beautiful yellow rings came to life with the reflection of the light as Nox's Umbreon walked out of his hiding spot.

"I found you, Sombra."

* * *

The people from the towns Nox visited; the people that contracted his skills and saw his psychic powers in action thought its best use was making stuff levitate, communicating mentally, or flinging stuff without touching it, but they were wrong.

The most important use of psychic powers was to do something nobody else could: protect oneself from the Soul Eaters: the title the people from the region had given to the Ghost Type Pokémon whose time was dedicated to steal and attack humans and Pokémon's souls and life force. Pokémon like Litwick, Lampent, Dusclops, Gengar, they were all deadly.

In the local region these Pokémon were widely known to behave in a more violent manner toward all living things. Unlike other places like Kanto or Sinnoh where Ghost Types were feared because of their unknown nature the inhabitants of this region knew the Ghost Pokémon too well. It used to be common to hear the tales about the wife, the son or the friend of somebody whose soul was cruelly taken away. The cases were accumulating quickly and the night turned into a time when fear reigned. People living in dangerous zones locked themselves in their houses praying not to be found by these reapers.

Even a few of those who were determined to fight the problem with their own Pokémon lost… they would lose their soul and their Pokémon's. The Soul Eaters were not mindless, they always took the trainer's life first and rejoiced how the trainer's Pokémon turned confused and desperate before their lives were taken.

With hope disappearing as fast as the people's souls, psychic trainers showed up as the saviors after discovering that within their powers resided the ability to protect their lives from the Ghost Pokémon and fight back.

From there, psychic trainers were hired all around the region to deal with a variety of issues regarding Soul Eaters.

 _And I, after having coped with them and cleansed various towns from their grasp, still remember perfectly the first time I heard a story about a person whose soul was taken by a Pokémon._

* * *

Nox sat in front of a villager whose close friend had been taken by a Lampent in an expedition to an abandoned factory.

This was not the first case of Soul Eaters in that town, but it was uncommon, and thus they never expected what could happen to them.

The girl from the two men's closest friend had gone to that factory and hadn't return after several hours. Unfortunately for her father, as brave and worried as he was, he couldn't walk, and given the difficult terrain that they had to cross to get to the factory, the man telling Nox the story and his friend (Richard and Michael) offered to search for the girl.

The two men went off to the factory accompanied by a Sawsbuck and the ignorance of the grim events about to occur.

"We wandered across the factory for at least half an hour," Richard told Nox, with no signs of the missing girl.

The only light was the one coming from the windows near the roof of the factory and the men's flashlights. It stayed that way until, at the distance disappearing into a corner, Michael thought he saw something blue. Like a flame.

He said he wasn't sure of the logic behind a blue flame in an abandoned factory; the thought of seeing an illusion or something without reason in a place like that sent a shiver down his spine.

He looked around in search of the blue flame, hoping it was some weird coincidence. Then, at the worst moment, in the middle of the dark, a memory emerged: hadn't he heard about how Ghost Pokémon had been attacking people…?He shook his head trying to forget the fearful idea, but went back to it, theorizing that a ghost Pokémon shouldn't be seen so easily. A blue flame wasn't a trait he recalled in any Pokémon. No name popped up no matter how hard he was thinking. Maybe it was something else.

"There it is again!" said Michael, this time sure of what he saw.

Richard snapped out of his thought and could only see Michael bolting toward the hallway.

"Wait!" called Richard. He was about to follow when he heard something hit the ground. It was his Sawsbuck's Pokéball.

In the couple seconds he bent down to look for the Pokéball in the darkness, he had lost sign of his friend.

The Ghost Pokémon image came back. His heart sped up as he did toward the hallway releasing the Pokémon of his own. The Sawsbuck just followed–no noises or words exchanged.

The next room divided into three hallways so he called for his friend a couple of times; a few seconds later he got a response.

"I'm here, Rich!" the voice resonated from his right. "I think I know where the girl is."

Richard and Sawsbuck followed the voice and entered another long hallway that ended in a huge, oval room. At the distance he spotted his friend following a Lampent–the blue flame he had seen.

Michael looked over his shoulder and told Richard, "I asked this Lampent if he had seen the girl, so he's taking me there." With a thumb up he continued.

Richard let out a sigh of relief, there was no need to worry or hurry. He walked alongside Sawsbuck through the hallway, not losing sight of Richard.

Michael and the Lampent stopped in the center of the room at the end of the hallway. Michael looked around and said something to the Lampent.

From afar Richard squinted to get a better look.

A blue flame came to life behind Michael, then another, and another. They lighted up like haunted candles and in a matter of seconds filled the room. At the sight of this, Richard, in the middle of the hallway, couldn't help but freeze.

The hundreds of Lampent illuminated the room with blue light that embarrassed the flashlight's tiny light.

Michael spun in place looking for a spot in the room that hadn't been covered by Lampent; he found none.

The Lampent started levitating toward the center; toward Michael.

Richard's eyes went wide as he lost sight of his friend amidst the mass of blue flames surrounding him. A terrifying ghostly scream that died down rather quickly was his signal to run.

He wanted to stay and fight but he couldn't.

His shaky legs barely responded and with clumsy steps he started to run away.

After finishing with Michael, the mass of Lampent's new objective was Richard. A combined blast of fire was shot across the hallway.

"S-Sawsbuck, Protect!"

The instant shield the Pokémon created held barely held the attack.

Richard and Sawsbuck took this time to escape through the many hallways they came from. With his heart hammering his chest like never before, several possible scenarios of what happened to his friend ran through his head.

Vanished, burned to death, devoured. Not only it broke his heart but terrified him to the point that even on the run he could imagine his possible future death.

He looked over his shoulder, the Lampent were scary but not very fast. He got to the area where the stairs that he and his friend crossed minutes ago.

He saw something moving below the stairs in the other side of the room. He begged for it not to be another ghost. He pointed the flashlight at the figure. It was the girl. He went down the stairs two steps at a time.

"Hey!" he shouted, his voice and lips trembling in fear.

"Richard!" the girl called back, clearly frightened, maybe even more than he was.

As the two of them and the Sawsbuck were getting closer to each other, a blue light began to illuminate the whole room as if a blue sun was rising inside the building.

"Come on, come on," Richard said and pulled the girl by the hand. Sunlight still entered the building through the door he and Michael left agape when they entered. Ghost Pokémon are known for not being very fond of the sunlight.

He heard something whizzing from behind them. He glanced back to catch a glimpse of a fireball that struck his Sawsbuck. A fireball that would have hit them if it wasn't for his Pokémon.

"Argh!" Michael roared as they exited the haunted building. They didn't stop outside. They didn't stop for the Sawsbuck, Michael knew it was dead. "Run, girl, run."

* * *

Michael's story that could have passed as no more than a great horror story suddenly came to Nox's mind. Why? He wondered for a moment. Maybe because he was about to visit a town who he had heard was under siege by ghosts.

Word had it that the area surrounding the forsaken town had been completely deserted. No people, no Pokémon; everyone had escaped or had been devoured–the latter one the common belief.

If this was true, not only meant that Nox was in the correct path to get an amazing pay, but it could also meant he was about to witness an infestation of Ghost Pokémon like no one he had seen before.

He looked down at his cute and extremely deadly Sombra walking beside him. Dark Pokémon didn't have the best reputation around the world–which was quite stupid considering it was because of misinformation, Nox constantly said–and yet in this region they were widely accepted and loved for their essential role in the community. This type was with no doubt the best companion for those in his trade. And still, with a carefully crafted party of Pokémon suited for these jobs, Nox couldn't help but feel he could have used the help of another trainer like him–a Hexer.

There were none like him around, anyway. The town he had come from before was in a state of panic for the same reason. Treeside was a peaceful town, the Pokémon that inhabited there were commonly used for work and thus they had few options to defend themselves from any wandering Soul Eaters or worse.

In fact, the entrance facing the path toward Balmora (the town currently targeted by the Ghost Types) was guarded by a few trainers with the "strongest" Pokémon only one of them being a Dark Type. Nox knew for sure that if that town was to be attacked it would fall.

The road to Balmora was quiet. Towering trees bordering the paved path protected Nox from the intense sun and concealed the Ghost Types as well. He had to stay in Treeside one extra night so he could leave toward Balmora at first light. It was general knowledge that ghost Pokémon despised sunlight, but that didn't mean he was completely saved from any attacks. Shadows moved in the areas of the forest the sunlight couldn't reach.

Nox decided to look for any ghosts nearby. He took out a Pokéball and released his Starmie, the only Psychic type he would ever had. Nox's ability to feel the presence of other Pokémon was well trained (a trait that came along his psychic powers); however, Ghost Pokémon had the ability to hide themselves from Nox's detection. Therefore, Starmie served as a booster for Nox's detection as well as a wide user of utility moves for Nox's varied assignments.

Starmie was a great fighter, no doubt about that, but Nox summoned her sparingly when it came to battling Ghost Pokémon, always aware of the risk of sending her against an opponent that had the advantage. Nonetheless, she was a very valuable part of the team.

Starmie appeared in front of Nox and turned to look at him. She extended one of her arms which Nox reached out to hold. With that he focused on his surroundings searching for any Pokémon.

He countless Ghost Types around lurking in the forest not brave enough to venture into the furious sunlight the noon came with. An extended check on the area led him to find out he was being followed from behind, though. When he detected the Ghost Pokémon, it was already coming for him.

It was a Mismagius. They were fast and tended to teleport; Nox had already handled quite a few of them. They were not Soul Eaters so this battle would fall on his Pokémon only.

The wild Pokémon was charging toward Sombra silently with its levitation. "It's going to teleport," Nox told his Pokémon.

And indeed, once a mere meters away, the Mismagius teleported behind Sombra. The Umbreon, however was quick to react turning around instantly. The Mismagius failed to strike with Phantom Force leaving an opportunity to counterattack.

"Now, Payback!"

Sombra attacked and the Mismagius swiftly fell to the ground with no sound.

Sombra, as usual, stood beside the downed Pokémon as if asking Nox if he should finish it off. "Leave it there."

Starmie was returned to her Pokéball and Nox resumed his trip alongside Sombra.

Strange… Though not a Soul Eater, Ghost Pokémon are known to be annoying but not violent; beside, they rarely appear during the day. Is this massive occupation of Ghost Pokémon turning them violent? Nox thought and glanced back at the Mismagius. It was gone.

If Nox was right, they were already halfway through the road to Balmora. He began to walk faster.

Balmora was in sight. The first thing that Nox noticed from this supposedly "vivid and exciting" town was its lack of people near the entrance.

Though a town with a hundreds of persons the place was seemingly empty. One could have mistaken it by a ghost town.

From the entrance, Nox could see the town hall in the center of the city–hopefully there was people there.

Nox didn't have to wait until he arrived to the town hall to see people around. Once inside Balmora there were a lot of people. The rumors about Balmora said that the life of its inhabitants was horrible and the town was a chaos. This was not true fortunately–it brought certain calm to him.

However, as active as Balmora seemed, its inhabitants were not fine. The people with which Nox crossed paths had huge eye bags, some others walked dragging their feet and hunched on their backs. These persons had taken the mental–and maybe physical–toll of practically living together with a bunch of Ghost Pokémon. Other people seemed too erratic, going from here and there with hurried and strange expressions on their faces.

These people had been trying to continue with their lives despite being harassed constantly by their attackers.

They haven't surrendered yet. That's good. We will take back Balmora.

As usual, Nox made a quick tour through the city to assess the situation. He overheard the ghosts mainly resided in an abandoned hospital near the edge of the town, but there were also houses and stores that had been taken over by the Pokémon. Though he didn't know at first it was easy to know where the hospital was since even Sombra pointed at it when it was in sight. The surrounding area was desolated with the windows of the surrounding buildings smashed, and thrash littering the street.

At last, once Nox had seen the town he knew where to go for information and rehydrate: the local tavern. He pushed the doors open and waited for Sombra to come in before examining the place: there was quite a few people (a bit surprising considering it was not even evening), and still it didn't feel like a tavern, but a library. Everyone was nearly silent, only chatting with those nearby them. They were in their own world.

Sombra lied down in a warm spot under Nox.

He had a drink at the bar and chatted with the bartender, who inspected Nox up and down: black leather jacket and denim pants, boots, dark hair that reached just above his eyebrows and a mysterious fellow overall. That and the Umbreon that followed made him deduce he was a Hexer and agreed to explain him about the problem the town suffered.

The man told him the Soul Eaters had been harassing the town for more than two months already. At first, the people considered it normal. A few Ghost Pokémon here and there; after all, this was why this region was known for: their viciousness. A few trainers who owned Dark Pokémon offered to battle the ghosts. The Ghost Pokémon started appearing in the borders of the town, mainly near the then-active hospital. Back then, a quick patrol was enough to scare away two or three ghosts…

"And then there was a huge fire in the hospital," the man finished the sentence with difficulty–it was easy to notice the sorrow in his voice.

"The fire extended wildly throughout the hospital, but no more than that. Everyone would have been confused if it wasn't because…" The bartender stopped and looked down regretting he was reviving those memories.

"Take your time," said Nox.

The man breathed in and out and continued, "Nobody took notice of the fire's weird properties because everyone inside the hospital was dying. From outside everything you could hear were screams."

"And the firefighters?"

"They took no time to arrive, their Pokémon were ready to start working, but then the ghosts attacked," the man finished with gritted teeth.

"As the fire consumed the hospital… and the people died, Soul Eaters came down from the shadows and started attacking everyone. The trainers tried to fight back and they did beat several of those demons but eventually they were overrun. More trainers came while some others attempted to save the hospital. It was all lost at this point. You could see the ghostly shapes above your head while they flew and searched for more persons."

The man grew silent, which Nox took as a cue to ask something, "If you were losing against them, how, how–"

"How am I still here talking to you? How this town is still standing?"

Nox nodded and let the man answer, "One of your Hexer comrades showed up. I have never been more grateful in my life; that man saved the town and my daughter."

"What happened to him?" Though the words came out with confidence from Nox's mouth, he feared the answer–and already knew it.

"He died," the bartender sighed. So that rumor was true, Nox pondered, after hearing that on Treeside he only hoped that wasn't real.

"He showed up with the most frightening Pokémon team I have ever seen: a Tyranitar, a Krookodile, and a Bisharp. What happened to the rest? That I don't know, but he fought heroically. His Pokémon were an impenetrable wall while he commanded them beautifully. There were dozens! Dozens of those monsters and he took down most of them. It was too much for him, though. After two of his Pokémon were downed, a Soul Eater… shot a Fire Blast at him and he... was turned to ashes in the middle of the street. Just horrible. At the end the Bisharp was the last one standing and he took care of the remaining Pokémon."

"After the longest night this town has ever lived the sun was finally rising. The ghosts destroyed most sources of light during the battle, therefore the first rays of sunlight revealed the damage. The fire was extinguished during the night but most of the people inside perished; there were dozens inside, Nox, dozens; and in the outside bodies laid on the street, humans and Pokémon alike, so much of them. It was horrible. The deaths scaled to more than forty." The bartender seemed to have finished. He planted both hands on the bar searching for balance, looking paler than when Nox first talked to him.

Around them a small crowd conformed of the clients had gathered to listen to the retelling of that night. Even Sombra raised his ears to join the listeners.

Nox also learned that there are still groups of people ready to fight back but they haven't had any chance yet. He planned to resort to them when the moment arrived. He asked which Ghost Pokémon had been seen to which the common answer was: all of them.

Before Nox could gather further information, a bell rang.

It rang several times and time seemed to freeze inside the tavern. Then, chaos arose: the clients were quick to leave their drinks–empty and full–, leave money and bolted out. Some turned violent, because they all wanted to go through the single exit. A man threw a punch that let the victim on the floor. When the tavern was empty, tables were flipped, two chairs were broken, and a man lied barely conscious on the floor.

Nox looked at the bartender with widened eyes that expressed a clear confusion.

"The bells of evening. Ten bells mark the last ten seconds before sundown. You better go and prepare yourself. There's new moon tonight and when there is no moonlight there are ghosts…" the bartender trailed off. "Leave."

"Thank you for everything," said Nox and left some money on the bar.

He exited the tavern and saw the real face of the town under the last rays of sunlight: total chaos.

He stood in front of someone, curious of her reaction, "What's happening?"

"The night is coming!" she shouted while looking around almost psychotic. "Get out of my way."

Nox watched the woman run off toward a building.

Suddenly lights of all kind started turning on. Lamp posts, bulbs, flashlights and some reflectors in the rooftops of buildings.

It was not evening anymore in Balmora, but an artificial midday.

And yet with that entire lighting, there barely were people in the main area of the town.

Nox and Sombra looked to spot two dozen persons near the town hall which was found in the center of the town surrounded by streets and bordered by buildings–one of them being the tavern across the street.

He approached one of the men and asked him what was happening. The man, who didn't seem very nice, responded they were the ones who defended of Balmora in nights like these.

The citizens tended to seek shelter near the town hall since it was the best protected zone. When the town hall was filled with people the houses and buildings nearby where taken. The defenders made small squads to benefit from their small numbers.

They hardly had any Dark Type, though. The man Nox was talking to had a Bisharp–which he wondered if it was his fellow Hexer's–but from the other twenty something persons there were two or three more Dark Types in total.

When Nox warned them about their shortage of useful Pokémon, the man glared at him and almost responded shouting to the Hexer, "Don't you think I know that? Somebody has to protect the town. These men and I will defend the town. We are determined, Hexer.

"It's Nox. Okay, you will need as much people as possible. Let me see if someone else needs support for when they arrive."

Nox and Sombra were about to walk away when the man called again, "Nox."

"Yes?"

"Protect the light sources, it's the first thing they attack. If they leave us in the dark we are truly lost then."

* * *

Nox stood outside of a house alongside a young lad who Nox calculated to be seventeen at most. The boy only had a Charmeleon with him. According to what he told Nox, his family consisted of his mother and three sisters who didn't own a single Pokémon. Even worse, one of the sisters was sick with something contagious so joining the rest of the refugees was not an option. Unfortunately for the boy, the number of trainers tonight was scarce. There were no spare persons to help him defend his house and thus Nox decided to stay with him as long as he could.

Of the five Dark Pokémon Nox brought with him, he decided to lend two of them to other trainers. He gave Sombra and Pangoro to trainers who desperately needed a better Pokémon and as much as it hurt Nox to separate from his Pokémon in a situation this risky, Sombra and Pangoro were highly obedient and easy to command for the strangers.

He only had Disaster, his Absol, outside his Pokéball for now. He was tempted to use Starmie given the amount of Pokémon that they were to possibly face but it was that same reason why he decided not to risk his Pokémon. It was not worth it.

The time went by without any disturbance until the bell atop the town hall rang. "They have sighted ghosts!" the boy's body stiffened with the information.

It was true; the defending trainers began shouting commands and warnings. A stray fireball flew across the street and hit a building in a fiery mess. The start of the battle came from the other side from which Nox was. He couldn't do anything yet.

He didn't have to wait much, though.

Ghost Pokémon appeared atop a rooftop. The four ghosts saw Nox and the boy and charged faster than he expected. The boy tried to call a command for his Charmeleon, but he could only stutter the first letters. Nox put a hand in front of him meaning he was going to take over and fight the incoming ghosts.

The ghosts tried surrounding them. Two approached from the right and the others from the left.

A Shedinja was the first to attack from the right. Nox knew Disaster could act on his own and he did. Disaster sidestepped and used Bite to take the Ghost type down.

A Drifloom was behind the downed Pokémon. Nox saw the ghost prepare something. "Use Taunt!" he shouted and as the Absol obeyed, Drifloom forgot to use his Will-o-Wisp and Disaster used Bite to put it out of combat.

In the other side Nox noticed the Froslass about to attack him. He pulled the boy and they both evaded an Ice Beam. Nox was quick to position himself behind the Froslass and the other Ghost Type and push them with telekinesis. They ended up in front of Disaster who instinctively used Dark Pulse to beat the ghosts.

The four Ghost types laid on the ground fainted. Disaster growled at them expecting a command. "Do it," said Nox.

With a roar, the Absol released a Dark Pulse that finished off the four Pokémon.

"Wow, he's powerful," said the boy, looking with awe at Disaster.

"Yeah, he is. Now–"

"Behind you!"

Nox spun around in time to see a Cofagrigus about to attack him. It threw a Shadow Ball at Nox to which, without command, Disaster jumped in the middle of the attack and cancelled it with an attack of his own. He was about to say his orders when he heard the boy gasp.

A Jellicent was facing the boy and his Charmeleon. The boy's Pokémon stood in front of him ready to attack–which was the worst option.

Without thinking he took out a Pokéball and threw it between the Jellicent and the Charmeleon.

A Weavile materialized from the white light of the Poké ball. "Go!" Nox shouted and the Weavile instantly attacked. It threw a few swipes at the Jellicent. The ghost received them and retreated a bit. Weavile didn't wait, though. He attacked again, viciously. He jumped above the Jellicent and landed on him with a Knock Off straight to the face.

The Jellicent plunged to the ground whimpering after the last attack. Weavile jumped again and pinned down the Jellicent. Nox knew he had to react fast and commanded Weavile to finish the Pokémon off. With a precise and powerful swipe the Jellicent didn't move again.

With the Cofagrigus defeated, Nox took a few minutes to explain some quick tips to the boy. Ghost Pokémon continued to come in small packs. At some point Charmeleon even took down a pair of enemy Pokémon. Weavile also stayed out fighting alongside Disaster. Their opponents were easy and quickly dispatched.

Time passed and midnight was upon them. The new moon, almost invisible in the dark sky, was on top of them. Disaster and Weavile were showing signs of exhaustion. They fought as hard as when they faced the first Pokémon, and yet after each Pokémon defeated, they needed more time to catch up their breath. Nox was amazed by the amount of Pokémon that had attacked. He counted more than forty after five hours. That was only his numbers. He had seen how other ghosts attacked the other defenders. He even got a glimpse of his Pangoro being commanded by a citizen. They seemed to be doing well.

The night was going better than Nox expected until he heard an explosion of glass. Three houses to his left, ghosts invaded a rooftop and destroyed a couple of reflectors mounted atop.

The light disappeared in that side of the street. Right after that, the light also disappeared from the corner of Nox's eye. He looked at the opposite side of the street. There, too, Soul Eaters were destroying any light source. After a brief minute (in which some of the defenders attempted to fight the Ghost Pokémon) the side Nox and the boy were was shrouded by darkness. Only half of the light sources remained. From the town hall and beyond the reflectors and lamp posts still stood unharmed.

Nox was aware that Soul Eaters were more sensitive to light than most other Ghost Types and thus he expected to be attacked by them from now on–something that hadn't happened so far.

"Eh, Nox?" the boy stuttered. He observed with horrified eyes at the aligned houses that bordered one side of the street.

Above them ghosts flooded the street like a tidal wave. There were more than Nox had ever fought against.

"Crap," muttered Nox before he addressed Weavile, "Go with the others and bring Sombra and Pangoro." Weavile nodded with his cry and ran off.

Nox took out the Dusk ball of his last Dark Type: Hydreigon.

"Hydreigon, Dark Pulse!" Nox pointed at the right, and then at the left. "Disaster, Sucker Punch!"

Three Ghost Types were hit by Hydreigon, while Disaster caught a Haunter about to attack him. "Fire Blast!" Nox gave the command for both Pokémon.

Two Phantump succumbed under the embracing flames, and in the other side a Gourgeist almost resisted the attack.

Hydreigon was hit by surprise by a Honedge for which she responded with Assurance taking down the Pokémon.

"Help!" a young girl called. The lamp posts in front of her house as well as her Pokémon had fallen. She was backing away from the Soul Eaters that were slowly advancing toward her, feasting on her fear and desperation.

Where are Sombra and Pangoro?

Nox didn't see his other Pokémon. He had to do something. "Hydreigon, help the girl over there." He grabbed the boy by his shoulder. "Come, quickly. Your family hid in the other house as I told you?"

"Y-Yes." The Charmeleon followed closely

"Good, go the backyard and hide with Charmeleon," he threw the door open of the house behind them and pushed the boy inside. "Disaster, come on, over here!"

The Absol ran and stood in front of his trainer. The Ghost Pokémon gathered like a furious crowd in front of Nox and Disaster.

"Blizzard!" A powerful gale of ice wind struck nearly every Ghost Type, which stopped them in their tracks.

Nox noticed a Pokémon . "Pangoro, charge and tackle every ghost in your path!"

The huge Daunting Pokémon attacked from the flank and opened his way viciously through the mob of Ghost Types.

A sound above Nox's head, on the rooftop, distracted him. In a gray blur a Shadow Punch landed on Disaster. The Absol hit the ground as a Dusclops appeared in front of him. The Soul Eater grabbed Disaster before he could do anything and flung it away. Dusclops locked eyes with Nox–his next target.

The Dusclops slowly advanced toward Nox, who wanted to call for his Pokémon. At the same time, outside the house, the mob of Ghost Types increased and blocked the view to the street. The light inside the house was minimum, almost none. Nox snapped his fingers of both hands and the bulbs in the house's living room turned on. With a better vision now Nox knew he was not getting around the advancing Dusclops.

He hurried further inside the house.

The backyard was not an option, the boy was there. Nox ran upstairs and searched for a place to hide–luckily the second floor was rather big. He turned as many lights on as he could.

There were five rooms in the second floor. Nox entered the farthest from the stairs and closed the wooden door behind him. It was the games room; it had a pool table, an air hockey, among another things. There were two smaller rooms inside–

Nox heard the steps of Dusclops approaching. The light he had used extinguished. He took out his Pokédex to illuminate his path and went inside the closest room he had: a bathroom. He closed the bathroom door and turned off his Pokédex. The sound of wood creaking was the only thing he could hear besides his breathing.

He put his back against the wall facing the door, preparing for the worst. He used his psychic abilities to see where Dusclops was. It was looking around the room until finally locking its gaze on the bathroom door.

Nox exhaled and opened the door.

The Dusclops seemed surprised and threw a punch at Nox. He ducked and tumbled. Dusclops reached out to touch Nox. If it grabbed him it was the end–as Dusclops kind was known to absorb anything that fell in its grasp and never come back out from its body. Nox put to use the skills that made him a Hexer and charged his hands with psychic energy and engulfed his arms in a shield that he used to swat away the Soul Eater's giant hand at the same time it protected him from the Pokémon's fearsome abilities.

He stood up and kept running toward the glass window that faced the street. In the few moments he had to think before jumping through the second-floor window he detected his Weavile almost directly under him.

He covered his face with his arm as he went through the window with a shower of glass announced his actions.

"Whirlpool!" his voice broke, but Weavile understood.

The Pokémon left himself vulnerable for a second and created a water whirlpool to catch his trainer. Once Nox's fall was cushioned by the move, Weavile disappeared the Whirlpool.

A Golett crept behind Weavile, too focused on Nox to notice it, and buried him under a Rock Tomb. The muffled whimper of Weavile was the only thing heard under the four massive rocks.

"Weavile!" Nox cried. He wanted to help, but he found himself surrounded by Ghost Types: Ghastly, Trevenant, Phantump, Litwick, Golett, Doublade and more.

Nox's Pokémon were nowhere to be seen. He jerked his head from side to side, searching for an exit out of this ghastly mob.

Out of the ghosts crowd a Haunter jumped out of nowhere and threatened to lick Nox in order to steal his life away. He barely reacted in time reusing his psychic energy to block the Soul Eater's tongue twice until he got a chance to push the Hunter away with a blast of telekinesis.

Then a dark blue beam roasted the area–and Pokémon–around Nox. Dragon Pulse, he noticed. He looked above, confused, and barely spotted his Hydreigon's obscure body. She descended beside Nox, ready to be ridden. He hopped on her back and they hurried over to the rocks that buried Weavile. Hydreigon used his other heads to move the rocks apart. Once Weavile body was in sight, Nox used his psychic power to pick up Weavile and lay him on Hydreigon's back.

Hydreigon rose to the air as the rest of Ghost Types approached and flew away from them.

Nox descended Hydreigon near the town hall, his breathing still uneven and Weavile in his arms. He looked about. Most ghosts had been defeated and the mob of Ghost Types was mostly roasted by Hydreigon's attack. There were only a few more to scare away before finishing, though.

Sombra cried appearing behind the Hexer and rubbed his head on Nox's leg. "Buddy, you are fine."

"Defenders!" Nox shouted to the trainers. "Let's get rid of these few ghosts left." The men and women in the street responded with a cry and a fist that rose in the air.

Weavile was returned to his Pokéball. "Rest well, we'll check you soon."

"Moonlight," said Nox and in response Sombra's yellow rings began to glow and he reflected the light to the darkened zone where the Soul Eaters attacked. Sombra's lighting was as strong as the reflectors and lamp posts that had illuminated the streets for the first hours of the night.

The few Ghost Types left knew what was coming; some stayed to fight, others fled back to the forest and the forsaken hospital. Nox had given Balmora one more day to live.


	2. The Bell at Dawn

The bright sunlight of the afternoon forced its way through Nox's eyelids. He craved for more sleep. At what time did he go to sleep last night–though it was not nighttime anymore when he went to bed–?

He let his head fall to one side and for a second he grew worried that Sombra wasn't beside him like last night. And then he saw Sombra pulling the other curtain with his mouth. Nox groaned, "So it was you who interrupted my sleep, you little monster."

Sombra peeked his head above the bed, resting his paws on the blankets. Once he got Nox's attention, he pointed with his nose at the digital clock beside the bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you can read the time." Nox sighed. "It's late and you're too smart."

With his mind fully awake, his thoughts drifted to Weavile. How was he? He didn't feel very good when he had to hand him to a local after remembering there was no Pokémon Center. Seriously what place doesn't have one?

The women said she was a local doctor and after the hospital went out of service she handled any Pokémon related issue.

He sat up; even though he had to sleep with yesterday clothes (with the exception of his boots, which were tossed to the side as soon as he entered his room) he rested _so_ well. These blankets were very soft. What did he expect though? This was the best (and the only) hotel in town, it had to be good. The owner of this place talked to Nox when the fight finished and offered him to stay for free in gratitude for his outstanding support.

As good as the bed was it was time to go. Beside, his Pokémon had stayed in the hotel's garden which was pretty nice and Nox wanted to see them.

He stood up from the bed, planning to take a shower to which Sombra responded with a cry that Nox interpreted as a "Finally".

With his boots and leather jacket on hand, he left the room.

He descended the stairs to enter the lobby. He was making his way to the hotel's garden when the lady at the reception called him.

"Excuse me, sir," said the receptionist, "The mayor told me to notify you that he would like to have a chat regarding yesterday's events. He will be waiting in his office at the town hall whenever you are ready to go."

"Alright, thank you," Nox nodded.

He was about to walk off when the lady spoke up, "By the way," she smiled, "thanks for yesterday."

He smiled back with a nod and continued.

He realized his mistake a bit too late. He had already showed his skills and done his services–all of that without having talked to the mayor first. The people in Balmora seemed kind and thankful for what he had done yesterday, and all around good folks and yet, he hadn't arranged any payment so far. Of course, there's still the root of the problem: the hospital, but he had already fought and risked his life–and his Pokémon's–for free practically. He planned to talk about this to the mayor. He admitted to himself: even though he was going to ask–or demand–for a fair payment, he didn't want to leave Balmora in its actual condition.

Pushing his thoughts aside Nox arrived to the garden where he and Sombra were warmly welcomed by the Pokémon. He returned them to their respective Poké balls and made his way to the town hall.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Nox, right? My name is George," said the mayor extending a hand which the Hexer took.

Nox accepted the mayor's handshake, "Right. Good afternoon, George." He sat down in front of the mayor's desk while Sombra chose a comfy corner to lie down.

"First of all, I want to thank you for your help last night. I don't think Balmora would have held much without you."

"You're welcome. It took me by surprise, I had no idea the attacks were _that_ bad."

"That's what I heard, you were in Al's tavern when the bells rang. It's a chilling sound the first time you hear that."

"It was bewildering mostly because of how the people's mood changed. One moment I was sitting there listening to the town's history and the next people were fighting their way out of the tavern."

"Indeed, it must have been baffling. However, that wasn't all, we have another problem as well–"

"The hospital," finished Nox.

"Exactly." The mayor fidgeted with a pen as he talked, "I imagine you are going to fix that problem, too."

"Of course, that's the plan," Nox nodded reassuring his words. "And, you know, I actually wanted to pay you a visit yesterday; however, as I told you, the attack took me by surprise. I wanted to discuss about the payment since after just one day here I've had to fight more ghosts than in any other job I've done."

"I see," the mayor trailed off. "Well, I have never had to hire the services of a Hexer. Balmora was a quiet town when it came to Soul Eaters. Nonetheless, I know the price varies according to the issue or amount of ghosts defeated and I have heard different amounts of money you charge, so tell me how much do you expect?"

In his head Nox smirked. He wasn't going to cheat and ask for a ridiculous amount of money, but he was still going to ask for a big sum. Nox found this fair, he had never done a job this size, and besides, a lot other Hexers take advantage of the desperate situations they find people in and charge incredible sums of money.

When Nox said his price the mayor hesitated. That was a lot, yet little money compared to how much Balmora had lost since the attacks started and foreigners stopped coming. He accepted after a short consideration and they shook hands once again.

"There's something else, though," said the mayor after explaining the Hexer that there were no casualties last night. For a moment Nox felt proud of his work until he heard the next words. "Three kids were kidnapped."

"What?" Nox didn't want to believe it. He knew what it meant when a person was kidnapped by a Ghost Type–and worst if it's related to an Eater. He looked to his feet. "Drifloon and Drifblim?"

"Yes," responded the mayor. "When the Eaters began to attack, several ghost types overrun a few defenders and they entered a house. The persons there had to escape to the street and then the three kids of the family were taken."

Three kids of the same family… Nox sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Do you know anything else?"

"The witnesses said the Pokémon headed in the direction of the hospital."

"So, there's now another reason to go there."

"Exactly."

Nox and the mayor took their time to come up with a plan to raid the hospital and reviewed the last details of it for one more time. After that, their chat was more casual with the mayor explaining Nox how much life was going to change again once the Soul Eaters and the rest of the Ghost Types were gone. The mayor even prompted Nox to come back to Balmora–when things had returned to its normal state–to take a break from the occupied life of a Hexer, which Nox talked a bit about it. He liked George and saw why he was the mayor of the town. He seemed like a natural leader who took care of his people and town. He was definitely going to come back.

* * *

Before visiting the mayor Nox checked on Weavile for which he was told to come later. The Pokémon was fine but needed more rest without the pressure of his trainer. Nox's visit to the mayor took a couple and he decided it was enough time for Weavile because he was worried and wanted to see him rather than being demanding–which he was sometimes; something required to train powerful Pokémon–and wanting Weavile back in action. In the way to the doctor's office (also known as her house) Nox remembered Weavile saving him and then the cruel image of him being buried under Rock Tomb. Rock Type was one of Weavile's weaknesses and witnessing that was painful for Nox.

Nox picked up Weavile after asking him directly if he was fine. Weavile sharpened her claws in response. The whole team was complete. Good.

Nox let the town mayor know he was ready to attack the hospital. He checked his watch. Four o'clock; that lets me with a couple hours to work.

Not only he had awoken late, the visit to the mayor took quite some time, something Nox didn't prepare for. He had to take down the ghosts inside the hospital and rescue the three kids there in a little more than two hours. He definitely didn't want to get caught inside in the dark. The number of Soul Eaters and Ghost Types was probably high inside the hospital, but if he hadn't finished by the time the sun set the town was going to be attacked again and he was going to be trapped inside the hospital.

Nox had never coped with a situation like this. He was a bit nervous. Attacking a building under Soul Eaters' occupation wasn't the smartest thing to do indeed. However, Nox was taught an important thing about this kind of situation: although normally Ghost Types in general run around without any leader, when it comes to a horde–the word Nox's fellow Hexer used–they normally have an "alpha" Pokémon who keeps everyone together and organized. It's a strange occurrence.

If I defeat the leader of these ghosts the massive attacks in the town will cease for sure.

Nox wondered what Pokémon was the alpha inside the hospital.

The Hexer stood outside the hospital studying it. He had received a makeshift map of the interior. Three stories and a basement. It was not very big but in the darkness he had to be careful of not getting lost. That's why he was glad to have Sombra alongside him. "Hope you are ready, you are going to be our light inside there."

Sombra shifted into a battle stance and made a bark-like noise as if saying "Of course I am ready!"

Behind him six of the men that fought yesterday awaited with Pokémon beside them. Nox knew he was not going to take down every single Ghost Type inside the hospital so, when any of them tried to escape the men here would stop them. Furthermore, if Nox found one of the kidnapped kids and sent them out of the hospital he wanted them to be received and taken to safety.

Nox released Hydreigon and he and Sombra hopped on her back. "Take us to the roof," said the Hexer to his Pokémon giving her a pat.

In a wingbeat a gale of wind hit the men and Pokémon as Hydreigon rose into the air and flew headed to the roof of the hospital where she hovered until Nox spoke again, "Rise a bit more."

Nox focused on the floor the rooftop covered. He used his psychic detection to look for any sign of the kids. The faint essences of a few Ghost Types were the only thing he detected directly under the roof. Good.

"Destroy the roof with a Dragon Breath."

The Pokémon followed the command instantly and an electric-blue beam blasted the area above the hospital. Hydreigon added just the necessary force to barely destroy the roof and no more. "Let's go now."

As they descended, Sombra released a Dark Pulse to hit a hiding Ghost Type and then another. As Nox plan was, the sunlight rained upon the third floor revealing several Ghost Types inside. The Hexer's Pokémon took advantage of the confused Ghost Types and attacked them. In a matter of seconds most ghosts had fallen. Two Haunter tried to fly away but a well-calculated Dragon Pulse took them down. However unbeknownst to Nox three ghosts sneaked behind him and fled from the building and to the street where the townsmen received them.

Sombra and Hydreigon continued fighting the incoming ghosts while Nox stood between his Pokémon watching and commanding. When they finished a dozen of Ghost Types laid on the floor unmoving.

"Well done." Nox addressed Hydreigon, "I don't think you are going to fit into the hallway. I'll call you back as you as needed." The Pokémon nodded and was taken back into its Poké ball.

Sombra led the way through the hallway while Nox, behind him, scanned the area, ready to warn the Dark Type.

There was an opened door near the end of the hallway. There was a Soul Eater inside. A Shedinja waited for them in the corner of the room. It was hovering over some rubbish that gave it just enough shade from the sunlight.

Nox was about to command Sombra when the Shedinja moved. It was fast. It used Bug Buzz before he could react. The attack was pretty weak for a Pokémon, and yet it pushed him backward against a wall. Sombra evaded it and counterattacked with Bite. The Pokémon went down instantly.

Hadn't Sombra been here that would've been a problem.

Nox reentered the room and petted his Pokémon. "Thanks, bud." Unconsciously he scanned his surroundings and to his surprise he felt a presence. A human one. He looked down to the floor, where the presence came from. Beside it there was another one.

"I think I've found two of the kids, come on, hurry!" he bolted out of the room not wanting to leave the kids alone another moment–who knows if what situation they were. He ran through another big space and into a hallway. He searched for the stairs to the floor below but the hospital was a bit of a maze. He rummaged into his pocket in search of the makeshift map. Gotcha!

He turned right and then left into another hallway where he saw the image on the wall of a flight of stairs. He was close, just another hallway. And as he turned into the next area where the stairs where a Ghost Type hit him in the side. He fell roughly on the floor with a huff. He couldn't react in time and the Ghost Pokémon, which was a Banette, leaped on him and lashed out with a Shadow Claw. He defended himself from the first attack with a psychic shield and before the second Shadow Claw struck, Sombra tackled the Banette down and began devouring it with bites. When he was done, he picked up the Ghost Type with his mouth and flung it against a wall. He didn't let Banette slip to the floor because a Dark Pulse that obliterated both the wall and Banette followed.

"Damn it, wow, thank you," said Nox between breaths. That was close.

Nox and Sombra descended the flight of stairs to the second floor. Everything was dark and just as he was going to ask Sombra to illuminate the place, dozens of red eyes appeared in the darkness.

"Sableyes," Nox gasped. "Protect!"

Sombra put up a translucent shield in front of them that held the incoming Shadow Balls.

Nox didn't have to say the command; after the attack finished, Sombra's rings glowed and then he illuminated the whole room. At the same time, a Poké ball flew through the air and released a big shape. Pangoro emitted a war cry as he stomped the floor which sent a tremor throughout the room.

Nox knew Sableye were not weak to Dark attacks, and thus he knew any other move was good with Pangoro's sheer strength. "Sombra," he said and the Pokémon understood immediately and used Helping Hand with Pangoro.

The huge Dark-Type rushed all around the room, charging onto the Ghost Types with a Knock off ready. One after another fell defeated and when the other Sableye were about to use status moves on Pangoro to stop him, Nox commanded Sombra to use Taunt. The Sableye got distracted and went toward him and Sombra, forgetting about Pangoro, who swiftly put them down while they were distracted.

Nox let Pangoro stay out and the three of them continued moving throughout the floor–Sombra illuminating with his powerful light. They encountered more Ghost Types–a couple Soul Eaters included. He scanned every room until he spotted the presence of the two kids again. Apparently the Ghost Types were making it hard to find the kids.

Nox put his hand around the doorknob and threw it open, his other hand ready to unleash any psychic attack. The room where the kids were seemed like an examination room–a small one with a few gadgets and a bed, which the kids were hiding behind.

There was no trace of Ghost Types which made Nox wonder how the kids had gotten here unharmed. There was no time to ponder about that, though.

"Hey," he whispered, trying to sound calm and friendly.

The two girls looked up. There were eye bags on her features and they seemed to be bothered by the light, for which Nox asked Sombra to decrease the brightness of his rings. "M-Mister Nox?" asked one of the girls.

He was aware the whole town knew him. He felt good they all appreciated what he had done. "Yes, I've come to get you out of here." Nox looked outside the room and nodded to Pangoro.

The towering Pokémon ducked to fit through the door. The two kids seemed a bit bewildered when Pangoro picked them up and carried them as if they weighed nothing. "Don't worry, girls, Pangoro only hurts evil Pokémon. Otherwise, he is a like a giant, living plush for kids."

Nox asked them about the last kid and the girls said that they were separated. Before they tried to hide, they attempted to look for him but there were too many Ghost Types around. One of the girls added that he was crying and shouting, but once they were separated and they could no longer see him he was silent.

"By the way, how did you hide from them?"

"Well, we don't really know," one of the girls shrugged.

"It's like something triggered within us, and then we simply walked among the Ghost Pokémon as if they couldn't see us."

"I see, amazing," Nox trailed off.

He knew what that meant. They were bound to be psychics, both of them. He got excited for a moment. He was going to need to check this before leaving the town. Nowadays with psychic people turning into Hexers out of sheer necessity there were not many of them around anymore.

After that they headed to the room where they encountered all the Sableye and following Nox's command, Sombra destroyed the ceiling. The hole he created was perfect for Hydreigon to fly out from here directly and get the two girls to safety.

Nox released Hydreigon and gave him the instructions. The girls actually were excited to ride the Dragon Type, they said. This time, though, Hydreigon rose slowly, careful not to use the speed she usually uses when the Hexer is riding. She flew out of the building and landed on the street where the girls' parents were waiting for them.

Nox had the same idea in mind: the remaining kid was probably being held in the basement. One of the hospital's workers told him the basement was as big as any floor since there was where the supplies were kept.

The Hexer continued searching for the stairs leading to the first floor. A noise came from the dark and devoid hallways behind them just as they had sighted the stairs that led to the first floor.

Nox looked behind him and glowing eyes began to appear. Sombra was quick to direct his light toward them only to reveal more Ghost Types: three Sableye, a Dusclops, a Drifblim and an Aegislash.

He grunted and glanced at the stairs. Time was probably running out for the other kid, but if he didn't take care of these Ghost Types they were not going to leave him alone.

Pangoro stepped forward offering himself to fight the enemy Pokémon. He seemed to understand the situation. Nox pondered for a moment and revealed a Poké ball that released Disaster. Pangoro was going to need a fast partner. He already felt guilty for the words that were about to come out of his mouth, "I need you two to stay behind and cover us," in the middle of his words, he threw a glimpse at the Ghost Types who were just standing there, "Take it slowly and be careful, okay?"

Disaster and Pangoro cried acknowledging Nox's commands. He patted Pangoro in the back and proceeded to continue downstairs. He released Weavile aware that he was going to need more support.

Though Sombra's light was strong, the Hexer still felt threatened by the shadows around him. The rest of the team walked slowly with the noise of the ongoing Pokémon battle in the floor above distracting them.

Nox felt Sombra biting his leg lightly to get his attention. Weavile looked up at him as well. He knew what the matter was. The temperature suddenly dropped. A chill breeze ran through his body. He and the two Pokémon began to look around frantically. They were in a waiting room with a reception, furniture, and nearby rooms in the hallways.

"Too many hiding places," he whispered.

He heard a sound he recognized to well. "Protect!" he shouted and Sombra and Weavile both reacted in time for a Shadow Ball to strike on Weavile's shield.

Sombra spun around Nox and stood alongside the growling Weavile. The two Dark Types adopted a battle stance while keeping watch on the shadow that bathed the reception–from where the Shadow Ball had come.

Even with Sombra illuminating the room, the receptionist desk had a small roof above it and two columns that blocked the light. It was a waiting game.

Nox didn't want to attack blindly, but he saw no other option. He was going to command Sombra to blast the reception, and then two red eyes opened and stared at them. A Gengar.

The eyes disappeared again.

"Weavile!" he shouted for which the Pokémon shot an Ice Beam toward where the eyes were.

A laugh-like noise sounded and a purple slime in the shape of a ball flew through the air in Sombra's direction. The Pokémon saw it coming too late and was struck by the Sludge Bomb and the noxious substances bathed the Pokémon.

"Sombra!" he cried seeing his Pokémon tumbling to the floor. The light was gone.

He is poisoned.

In complete darkness it was only a matter of seconds before the Gengar defeated them. In haste Nox rummaged through his jackets and took out a small, crystal sphere which he hurled to the floor. The sphere shattered in a thousand pieces and released a strong light for a few seconds.

The room illuminated in time for Nox to witness Gengar delivering a Poison Jab to Weavile. The Hexer's Pokémon recoiled and the Ghost Type was going to follow with a Shadow Ball. Nox stepped between the two Pokémon and used psychic energy to receive the Shadow Ball. His makeshift shield held but he was thrown to the floor by a blast of wind.

Weavile threw Ice Shards at Gengar who received the attack stumbling back. The air around Nox felt different for an instant and then the Gengar fell to the ground defeated. He looked at Sombra who was struggling to stand after striking down the Soul Eater with Psychic. Umbreon collapsed again.

The poison was taking effect on Umbreon. His trainer shook his head and hurried toward Sombra. He searched in his jacket and took out an antidote which he swiftly administered to his Pokémon. As he held up Sombra's head with one hand, he cleaned the leftovers of the Poison Type attack from Umbreon's body.

He turned his head at Weavile, "Hey, how are you?"

The Pokémon grunted in response. He was okay.

They took a couple minutes to recover and then continued the trek through the first floor. Nox would've wanted to find the entrance and open it–that way maybe he could've gotten help, but the main door was nowhere to be found.

An unfortunate side effect of Gengar's Sludge Bomb was that Sombra's light was weaker. It didn't illuminate with as much brightness as it did before. Weavile was, too, visibly hurt, maybe last night's fight and wound was taking its toll on his stamina. He didn't want to push him too much. However, the situation seemed worse when he considered that he was going to fight a powerful Pokémon in the basement–because the "alpha" had to be down there–and with only Sombra and Weavile the odds were not in his favor. The alpha Pokémon wasn't going to be alone.

Nox was looking around for any suspicious activity as they walked through the deserted hallways of the hospital. For anyone else, this setting would've proven terrifying. It was the stuff horror tales was made of. Ghosts that would roam the floors of abandoned hospitals eager to take your soul. That unknown sensation that lingered in the hospital inside these tales was what made people scared. For him, though, that was common. He was used to beat the hell out of the horror.

A shadow moved.

"Dark Pulse!" he didn't hesitate to command.

Sombra didn't think twice. He swiveled around and attacked the corner of the room Nox pointed at. Only chairs were blasted away.

"False alarm?"

The temperature fell. Something moved above them and Weavile was the only one to notice. He pushed Sombra and Nox out of the way, and then jumped back. A moment later, in that spot, two Gengar dropped from the ceiling, their wide, toothy smiles flashing the Hexer and his Pokémon.

He had no choice. He released Starmie.

The two Gengar stood back to back watching, on one side, Weavile and, in the other, Nox and the two remaining Pokémon.

He knew a big battle was going to take place, and in the worst–or was it the best?–time he spotted the presence of a human below him. The remaining kid was right below the Gengar.

Starmie, unconsciously sharing her psychic power, also "saw" the kid in the floor below. She glanced at him and pointed at the location of the kid. Stepping forward and with a low cry Nox understood what she meant. She was offering Weavile and herself to fight the Gengar while he looked for the kid. She understood their goal and how valuable time was.

He and Sombra began to move away from the fight, to which the Gengar reacted. Before they could do anything, however, Starmie blocked them and Weavile made the first attack.

Nox looked below him to make sure he didn't forget the location of the kid and then kept running down the hall alongside Sombra.

Finding the entrance to the basement was harder. It was a place inhabitants of the hospital were not supposed to see, and thus it was concealed from common eyes.

Luckily for them, the first floor was strangely deserted. They encountered no Pokémon in the time they were trekking throughout it.

Door after door Nox kept searching for any signal he had found the entrance to the basement to no avail.

He was impressed by the organized work of the ghosts. They not only took over the hospital, but covered any source of light. Windows and doors to the outside didn't let a single sunray in. Sombra's light did the job, indeed, but he couldn't help but feel a bit claustrophobic with no visible exit. Sombra could always blast a wall and create an exit, though.

Seemingly long minutes passed and Nox was starting to lose patience–and hope. He hadn't found any basement. Sombra, however, did.

Nox heard a bark-like sound coming down the hall. He and Sombra decided to separate in order to cover more options, and it worked.

He hurried to the small room Sombra was in. He was astonished to see an opened wooden door with blue-fire candles resting at his height at both sides of the room. He knew instantly what that meant.

Before anything else, Nox crouched and stroked the Umbreon's soft fur, "Well done, buddy. It's time to put an end to this, what do you say?"

Sombra cried in response. His eyes yelled determination.

The wooden door led them down a flight of stairs. Though the space was minimum, once they stepped into the basement, the zone expanded in a big, squared room half the size of one of the hospital's floors. Columns placed sparingly held the basement in place, and if there ever were supplies down here the ghosts got rid of most of them. There were some chairs, tables, and other random stuff, too.

Sombra's yellow light was of no use anymore since the whole basement was lightened by blue light. The source of that light was the small fires near the walls of the basement and the Soul Eaters at the opposite end of the room. A dozen Litwick turned around in unison, their smiles showing the fake friendliness that they showed to their prey.

They formed a perfect arc surrounding the remaining kid–a boy–, who was lying on the floor still, and with his hands crossed in his chest. The scene looked like a witchery ritual in the Hexer's eyes.

Facing the boy from the other side of the Soul Eaters arc was the alpha Pokémon, the one who brought Nox to Balmora, and the one who probably started this when it set fire to the hospital: a Chandelure.

Its yellow eyes were fixed on Nox while the its blue flames–its best known characteristic–held by its elegant curved "arms" danced creating ghostly shadows around him. Its fire… Nox couldn't stop staring at it, bright and blue, infamous for being able to burn to a crisp anything that it touched if used at full force. It was beautiful. He felt captivated by the fire–

A sharp pain in his leg woke him from his reverie. He grunted and looked down at his Umbreon biting him. What the hell–

Wait, was I hypnotized by Chandelure? Damn… "Woah, thanks," Nox told Sombra once he realized what happened.

Chandelure's fire was not only known for razing everything it touched. It used its fire to hypnotize any potential prey…and steal their soul.

Nox hadn't fell on that Chandelure trick in a long time. He understood this was going to be a pretty difficult opponent to take down. He was going to need to support Sombra and even though his psychic powers are not of much use offensively he can put up a fight.

The Chandelure made a variation of its cry Nox had never heard and, immediately, the Litwick hovered toward them at full speed. They were using Flame Charge.

"Confuse Ray!" called Nox.

Sombra understood his trainer's idea. He shot the Confuse Ray in the middle of the Litwick formation. The confused Pokémon tried to fight against the confusing state, but instead crashed against another Litwick which caused two more of them to collide with each other. Half of the remaining Litwick stopped to see what happened while Nox launched a blast of wind at the incoming Ghost Types. They slowed down to a halt, moment Sombra took advantage to strike them with a Dark Pulse.

The other Litwick noticed this and casted Fire Spins. Nox was quick to step forward and diverted them with a psychic shield. Though he hid behind the transparent shield, the heat from the Litwick' fire reached him.

Sombra proceeded to beat other two Litwick with Payback, while counterattacking another one with Sucker Punch.

One of the remaining Litwick tried to sneak up behind Sombra, for which Nox pushed it with psychic energy. Sombra used Quick Attack to get near the Litwick Nox pushed and then finished it off with a Bite.

The last four Litwick lined themselves horizontally between Sombra and Nox. Nobody moved until a Litwick launched a Fire Blast at Nox. He already had experience on this, so he just rolled out of the way, pushed the Litwick toward Sombra and the Dark Type took it down. The other three Litwick made a high-pitched cry and tried to escape back near the Chandelure. Sombra only had to attack them with Pursuit, one after the other. Once that was done twelve Litwick laid fainted on the floor around the basement.

Nox was catching his breath when he noticed Chandelure glaring daggers at him–or at least that was seemed to him. The Soul Eater gaze was intimidating. Not only that, but its size was abnormal, probably one meter and a half–normal Chandelure being only one meter high.

He tried not to do any sudden moves since the boy was still in front of the Chandelure. He had to get that boy back and he knew how.

"Sombra, follow what I do, alright?" he whispered.

Chandelure didn't get time to react, for Nox threw his hand forward pointing at the boy and focused on pulling the boy. Sombra did as told and did the same adding his own psychic energy on the grasp Nox had.

The kid's unconscious body was pulled by the invisible psychic force and he flew through the air toward Nox. Thankfully the Chandelure reacted slowly and reckoned it couldn't stop the Hexer.

The boy arrived safely on Nox's arms at the same time Chandelure began moving forward.

Chandelure summoned a purple and black sphere in front of it and started to make the sphere grow.

The Shadow Ball looked very threatening, Nox thought. He was about to run out of the Ghost Type attack but it was too late, the Shadow Ball was halfway its path already.

Sombra jumped forward and created a Protect which took the full blow. However, once the defensive move was destroyed Sombra felt a shock of the leftover force from Chandelure's attack.

Another Shadow Ball was coming.

"Shadow Ball!" Nox said without thinking–which he regretted instantly. His Pokémon Shadow Ball was not of his same type and hence his Shadow Ball… was weaker.

Chandelure's Shadow Ball pierced through Sombra's and surprised him striking him square in the face. A small explosion took place and Sombra was thrown into a column.

"No!" Damn…

Nox put down the boy behind one of the farthest column and then rushed at full speed to aid his Pokémon. He picked up Sombra and got out of the way of another Shadow Ball.

Sombra shook his head and jumped out of Nox's arms ready to fight again.

Another incoming Shadow Ball collided with one of Sombra's attack: Dark Pulse. Both attacks left behind a cloud of smoke, which the Hexer took advantage to move forward.

Sombra stayed behind near the stairs that led to the exit to continue the special moves battle while Nox got closer to the Soul Eater. The Umbreon casted three Shadow Balls in quick succession.

The Chandelure was as big as it was slow. It evaded the first Shadow Ball with difficulty. The second Shadow Ball grazed its "arms" as it tried to scurry away from the path of the attacks. The third, however, hit its target so fast the Soul Eater couldn't even close its eyes.

The Soul Eater slumped to the floor not being able to hold the attack. Sombra and Nox got out of their cover to check Chandelure's state. The Hexer hoped the battle had ended the moment Sombra's attack connected. That seemed to be the case since the Soul Eater was resting on the floor, its flames weaker and eyes closed.

Sombra was walking over to Nox while he stared intently at the Chandelure's closed eye lids. After a few seconds they opened.

A shiver went down his spine as he saw the Chandelure rising again. Sombra broke into a run wanting to protect his trainer. He wouldn't make it in time, though, for the Chandelure's had already made its move.

The Fire Blast sped through the air closing the distance with Nox faster than he expected. He didn't have time to put up a shield that would probably not hold the attack. The only thing he could do was dive out of the way.

The Fire Blast whizzed above him and continued its path to blast into a column.

Nox landed roughly on the floor sliding on it against the friction the dust and rubble created. He suffered a few cuts and thought that was it until a burning sensation–almost painless–came from his right hand. Still on the floor, he brought his hand up to his face. His ring and little finger were grazed by the Soul Eater's fire. The two fingers had almost been burned to nothing when he noticed them. They had turned to ashes that were now littering the floor indistinguishable from the dust around him. The scorch still threatened his hand and had adopted the look of a lit cigarette that was quickly devouring the base of his fingers.

Deciding not to crumble under the shock, he covered his unharmed hand in psychic energy and grasped the burned area, which halted any more damage.

After seemingly eternal seconds, Nox looked up to see the Soul Eater readying another Fire Blast. Sombra moved first, however, distracting Chandelure with a Sand Attack. Nox followed his Pokémon by directing his psychic energy toward the Soul Eater and momentarily pinning it in place.

Sombra lunged viciously at the Chandelure and landed a devastating Bite that made the Soul Eater fall to the floor under Sombra's weight. He didn't waste a second and released a point-blank Dark Pulse that shattered Chandelure's body in pieces. Its blue flames extinguished and the room's blue light faded into darkness.

Sombra once again served as a light source and illuminated with full force.

Nox sat on the floor looking at his hand and the space where his ring and little finger were. It was not an open wound nor there was blood–only the empty space and a disturbing sensation when he tried to create a fist.

Sombra walked up to his trainer and pawed his arm. The Pokémon whimpered looking at the Hexer's hand.

Nox sighed. Risks of the trade, I am a Hexer, it comes with the territory, he thought repeatedly. "I could be dead, but I'm not, you saved me again, Sombra." He embraced the Pokémon with his right arm.

* * *

The rest of the Hexer's team found him, Sombra and the boy. Each of Nox's Pokémon came back with no more than a few cuts here and there, some bruises but nothing dangerous. He couldn't be more thankful. "I promise you we will celebrate this win big time."

As Pangoro created a way out, his Pokémon looked at Nox's hand with concern, their eyes wanted to know what happened and, more important, if he was okay.

"It was that fight with the Chandelure. I guess it's not that bad compared to the fate of other Hexers," he said looking at his hand. "Don't worry, though, I'm fine, there's no pain."

Showing why he was the strongest team member, Pangoro created a hole in the wall, leading to the street, big enough for all of them. The last rays of sunlight showered the Hexer and his team exiting the building. Nox was the first to step out through the dust–caused by the destroyed wall–and his team followed closely behind, the silhouettes of each Pokémon giving off who was next to exit the hospital. Hydreigon (who came back inside the building shortly after the whole team reunited) carried the boy safely in her back while her teammate followed her inspiring admiration to the crowd of Balmora's citizens that had joined the watchmen in the wait for the Hexer.

The citizens sighted the last lost boy and the applause began. The people celebrated and cheered–the torment of the Soul Eaters was over. They were free folks again. No more fear and living nightmares during the endless nights. No more zombie and erratic people. The bell that rested atop the town hall could now be used for something other than an announcer for death.

Nox responded the people's reaction with a few nods and a brief smile. He swiped the sweat from his forehead with his wounded hand and swept his eyes across the crowd.

The found boy's parents ran toward him, the mother quickly rushing for his boy–not minding the massive Hydreigon that was carrying him–and with tears interrupting her speech she thanked the Hexer. The boy's father approached Nox and took his two hands giving him a strong shake and added some words. When the father released Nox's hands he noticed the missing fingers and looked up to him, shocked. The Hexer nodded reassuring it was nothing. Risks of the trade.

Several citizens tried to get a word with Nox–some of them probably reporters–while he made his way back into his hotel; the mayor could wait, everybody but the bed could wait.

His job was finally done here. He rested. His Pokémon rested. They ate a ton of food which was cheerily served to them taking into account his actions. He visited the doctor to consult her about his hand and get a quick check on his Pokémon. He paid one last visit to the mayor–where he got his beautiful, fat pay–discussing for a bit about the future and then received the man's gratitude before saying his goodbyes.

Accompanied by the ever-faithful Sombra, Nox made his way out of the town. Many people reunited there to bid him farewell and invite him to come back at any time.

The hospital, the town hall, the houses, they all got smaller before disappearing into the horizon that was painted in beautiful colors thanks to the drowning sun which revealed the hiding stars that dotted the sky in a random, yet attracting formation.

With the exception of the rustle of the leaves in autumn and the whistle of the wind embracing his ears, Nox enjoyed the silence that came alongside the last seconds of sunlight when the bell that once echoed throughout the limits of Balmora no longer rang.


End file.
